Vicente Manssur’s Photography

A series of urban stories in simple, but powerful compositions.

Based in Guayaquil, Ecuador, photographer Vicente Manssur uses his film camera, keen eye for detail, and creative talent to capture the world in a beautiful way. His images often have a minimalist aesthetic. In a similar way to designers who reduce the form in order to find the essence of an object, Manssur captures the substance of the scene through uncomplicated, yet powerful compositions. And the images often seem to tell a story. A toy left in the back seat of a car, the sun bathing the vehicle in natural light. Above a pink sink, two slender hands hover, fragile and almost despondent but also determined and strong.

A bright yellow wall provides the backdrop for a street light; shot during a sunny day, its purpose becomes unimportant, and the object transforms into an urban prop. An image shows a few people traveling on the back of the bus. All of them captured in strikingly different states: sleep, sadness, contemplation, fatigue. Throughout his work, Vicente Manssur seems to effortlessly uncover the beauty of the simple things, and paint stories with a camera. Photographs© Vicente Manssur.